4 dead fish this morning...others in danger?
Frostblitz20
Well-Known Member
i have still yet to figure out what the black slime is on the sandbed at my local petco.. if its cyano then its unlike any ive seen before..
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In general, unquarantined fish sourced from PetCo dying after a day or two is not exactly a mysterious phenomenon. Some visible symptoms would be reassuring though.
landlubber
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my second system took 6 weeks with the same protocol AND ghost feeding. nothing is for certain until the tests say so.
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No, it was ready once you dropped live rock in. Or Bio-Spira. Cycles without live rock or bottled bac take 4 weeks. You just fell prey to the cycle confusion rampant in this hobby at the moment.
blaxsun
10K Club member
It’s not the size of the tank, number or size of fish added. The OP indicated the tank was cycled and six weeks is more than enough time, so let’s take that at face value. It’s also extremely unlikely to be stray voltage (very rare) or high nitrites (which are nowhere near enough to be toxic). As was pointed out, API test kits aren’t ideal but better than nothing. An Ammonia Alert is an excellent idea going forward for a variety of reasons.
All the fish came from the same store, and the ones that died were likely homed in the same tank(s). With the small size, it’s not inconceivable that there may have been underlying health issues. Pretty sure more than a few of us have had a fish or two die from a LFS not long after purchase. I’m not suggesting this was the case, just offering it as a possible factor.
There was probably a difference in salinity, but the fish were drip acclimated. There’s probably also a temperature difference, but I don’t think this is necessarily the root cause, either.
I don’t know what the tank parameters were before - only after. And while the tank does look a bit cloudy, this could be attributed to the death of the four fish or if something got stirred up in the process of removing them (I don’t have an accurate timeline, but the image of the tank seems to show six fish).
All the fish came from the same store, and the ones that died were likely homed in the same tank(s). With the small size, it’s not inconceivable that there may have been underlying health issues. Pretty sure more than a few of us have had a fish or two die from a LFS not long after purchase. I’m not suggesting this was the case, just offering it as a possible factor.
There was probably a difference in salinity, but the fish were drip acclimated. There’s probably also a temperature difference, but I don’t think this is necessarily the root cause, either.
I don’t know what the tank parameters were before - only after. And while the tank does look a bit cloudy, this could be attributed to the death of the four fish or if something got stirred up in the process of removing them (I don’t have an accurate timeline, but the image of the tank seems to show six fish).
I didn't realize you had to add saltwater fish so slowly. I was hoping to cut down on their stress by only having to go through it once, and I've never had a problem with freshwater when stocking..
You do not have to drip fish if salinity matches. I never do if salinity matches and I keep fairly delicate fish. ALWAYS test the bag. Never trust the source. I once bought fish and when I received them, salinity was 1.006 because the person bagging them accidently left the RODI running in the water vat they use to bag the fish. It is not uncommon for petco or LFS to run lower salinity around 1.018. Not all do, but some do. Also, they do not need to float for an hour... 15-20 min and then start the next process. Being in the bag is stressful. Try to get them in the tank safely but also as fast as possible deepening on salinity of the bag.
HOWEVER, if salinity is much different. You definitely need to acclimate. If Petco's salinity is much lower, then an hour would not be long enough IMO. However, ammonia build up is also a problem in a small bag. What I do is add them to salt water I keep on hand that I match by adding RODI. Another option I have seen people do is adding a drop of ammonia lock while they drip.
Stray voltage is not likely a culprit. Fish are not grounded in the water so they won't get zapped.
Nitrite while toxic in freshwater is actually not very toxic at all in salt water. So again, unlikely the problem.
I would never suggest adding 6 fish to a tank at once. I personally like to go slow and take time... let the tank mature. You don't need to get to 100% stocking levels in a day (6 fish is around the # total I would add to a 30g). Add 1 or two, wait a few weeks... if all is well... add another.
Remember that disease is a REAL problem in new tanks. Take it slow. You may find you have to QT depending on the source of your fish and skill at recognizing subtle diseases... new people to the hobby haven't really developed this yet. My very first clownfish I ever bought was from petco and it looked fine... that fish came down with disease (brook?) in less than 12 hours and died. All it took was the stress of capture and moving it from the Petco's tank to my tank. Local LFS can also have diseases so just because it is a LFS doesn't mean it is safe.
Have petco feed the fish before you buy it. If it won't eat in front of you, don't buy it.
You still have the two cardinals still so I would focus on their health and keeping them alive. Watch their breathing rate and for any discoloration and make sure they eat. Cardinals would never take pellets for me but if healthy should eat mysis or LRS. It may take them a few days to settle.
MichaelReefer
2500 Club Member
It's not that, its that its a freshly cycled tank. Rule of thumb is normally to add them slow, not all at once. I mean it's not for sure that is what happened, but its a possibly.
Did you ever find out what size tank this is?
Frostblitz20
Well-Known Member
Question.. and i might of missed this.
What type of filter media do you have?
what type of cycle starter did you use?
Asking as if you have subpar media then the cycle starter bacteria will have trouble getting a start with a place to grow.
If you need to jump start the cycle back into full swing you can try Fritz turbo start as it takes effect in just a few days as oppose to weeks.
If you cycled with the rock in the tank. The filter media should not even matter. Salt water tanks do not need filters or sponges, the live rock serves the same purpose. The HOB is good for more flow and removing debris.
I would find it odd you would have 0 nitrates though but probably not ammonia unless the fish were exposed to ammonia in the bag too long. Maybe testing error?
I like Biospira for jump starting tanks. I use it for QT tanks a fair amount.
I would find it odd you would have 0 nitrates though but probably not ammonia unless the fish were exposed to ammonia in the bag too long. Maybe testing error?
I like Biospira for jump starting tanks. I use it for QT tanks a fair amount.
Alaeriel
Well-Known Member
I believe they said they tested nitrates of 0
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